Despite talk of boomtown prospects, BC Stats suggests Prince Rupert's population dropped in 2014

While the promise of economic activity and jobs, jobs, jobs has been the mantra of City council and the provincial government for much of the last year, the raw statistical data collected by the province for 2014 suggests that more people are still leaving Prince Rupert, than are making it home.

In an information release delivered by BC Stats on Monday, both Prince Rupert and Smithers recorded declines in population in the period under study of July 1 2013 and June 30, 2014, with Prince Rupert recording a decline of 2.9% and  Smithers suffering a decrease of 2.7%.

With the decrease, Prince Rupert's population according to BC Stats is now listed at 11,918.

The statistical overview appeared as part of the weekly Infoline Blog from BC Stats See more on that report here.

Prince Rupert residents can access recent population data from two sources.

The 2011 Stats Canada census numbers listed Prince Rupert's population at 12,508, the next Census is to take place in 2016.

While the 2014 population estimate from BC Stats has the population of Prince Rupert listed at 13,828

However, before the Mayor and Council get too despondent on that note of a declining tax base, there may be hope on the horizon, at least if the Stats BC projections program can deliver the bodies that  it currently predicts.

For those looking to see what the projections look like,  using this page from the Stats BC home page offers up the chance to enter the data and with a click or two of your mouse, watch the City grow, slowly as it turns out.

Of course, should any of the major industrial projects currently under consideration for the North Coast ever move forward with an investment decision, the projections of today, will be but a small sample of what could be a major shift in population fortunes for the region.

Which more than likely accounts for the crossed fingers approach that many are taking with each twist of the economic fortunes of those companies that are currently considering Prince Rupert as a future home.

You can review more on the work to BC Stats from their homepage here.